My kids use leather soled shoes exclusively till they are at least 3yrs of age, even outdoors. Robeeze may not have enough traction, I don't know as I don't particularly like them, but there are plenty of options in soft soled shoes. My kids wear mossfeet shoes, and lots of wahm made shoes. The only exceptions I ever made was crocs because they are so flexible. I love soft star but they are pricey. They make a thin crepe sole as an option as well, but we used the plain moccasins.

I did not like pedipeds, they are very very slick on the soles. Now we didnt' try the kind with the rubber soles. They also made Tharen's feet stink really baddly. And they were just too expensive for me to justify when we didn't like them very much. The fact is a 1yr old does very little walking outside, other than a little playing in the yard or park. They don't exactly go for long hikes or run marathons.

I know it may not be a popular opinion around here, but I LOVED flexible soled Stride Rites when my ODD was younger.

I just scored a pair of like-new Stride Rite Guppy sandals from a thrift store for my YDD for the summer. They were $2 and I took it as a sign that Stride Rites are meant to be our go-to toddler shoe

I've heard that Pedi-peds can be pretty slick... but See Kai Run often gets great reviews

ETA: I should mention that I really think it depends on where you are going to be allowing your child to walk the most. I had to have something with a solid bottom for my older DD because I was the infant teacher at a daycare (where she also attended) and my boss used cheap wooden mulch outside. The mulch would get soggy in some spots (not nice for leather bottomed shoes) and when it was dry there were some wicked splinters out there.

The stride rite sandals were perfect for us. Thick enough to protect the bottoms of her feet, yet flexible enough for her to play and run without problems. Also, the closed front area really helped to protect her little toes

__________________

I'm C.
Lifemate to sweet E. SAHM to my DD Big A [3/14/03] and DD Little A [5/30/08] Baby "A" due in November 2016!
Back after many years and cautiously expecting someone new.

The shoes that pp have mentioned that have a flexible sole, how flexible are they? I have a pair of shoes that don't look very flexible but I can pretty much fold them in half the rubber or whatever it is is so flexible. I want to get some more shoes like that but I don't know what brand these are because I bought them 2nd hand and the name is too worn off.

__________________"Why should I allow that same God to tell me how to raise my kids, who had to drown His own?" ~ Robert Green Ingersoll

I'm with Iris. A podiatrist we were seeing for some reason in the early 80s told my mom not to let us kids wear any structured shoes until around age 3 when our feet need support, that our feet are still working out how they are to be shaped and work, and we have to learn balance on our own.... barefoot is best, and as close to barefoot until that timeframe.

Most everyone here that is up on the latest medical knowledge says the same, so Robeez and similar shoes are really popular here until about mid-Kindergarten (ages 2-4), or just after K, when the kids need structured shoes to walk back and forth to school and play on the gym equipment.

Lor wears her leather bottom shoes outside...i get the double soled ones from places like babiesbeyondborders.com (you can get most wahms to do it for you), and they are pretty durable. We did buy 2 pair of robeeze treds for the summer though bc we live in a new neighborhood with construction and nails and she LOVES walking with me and the dog. But i got them on clearance for $15 each. I can't spend the money on the skr or livie and lucia...just can't do it. Look for a stride rite outlet or online, you can get them for $20. Oh and walmart and target have a selection of soft shoes up to a size 5ish that have some traction/rubber bottom. Lor's feet are too big though.